Russian anti-doping chief dies two months after resigning from post

Nikita Kamayev is the second person associated with Russia's anti-doping agency, Rusada, to die in the past two weeks.

Kamayev is the second person associated with Rusada to die in the past two weeks

Nikita Kamayev, the former executive director of Rusada, the Russian Anti-Doping Agency, has died two months after his resignation from the post in the aftermath of the doping scandal Russia is currently embroiled in.

Kamayev was 52.

A Rusada spokesperson said in a statement that “...the preliminary cause of death was a massive heart attack,” with friend and former Rusada general director Ramil Khabriev saying Kamayev had no known history of heart issues, but heard that he had died after a cross-country skiing session.

His death follows that of Vyacheslav Sinev, the former general director of RUSADA from 2008 to 2010. It was not revealed what his 3rd February death was caused by.

Russia currently stand banned from international competition after an investigation by WADA in 2015 revealed extensive state-sponsored doping. World athletics governing body IAAF voted almost unanimously to bar Russia at an emergency meeting late last year.

According to the report, Russian officials had been helping athletes circumvent doping regulations in a number of ways; athletes were allegedly warned before surprise drug tests. Test results were also held and delayed prior to being reported, with the report saying officials accepted significant bribes from athletes to allow them to continue competing.

The country’s participation in this year’s Rio Olympics now stands to question.